Conclusion and perspectives STUDY OF THE AGING AND THE SHELF-LIFE EXTENSION OF FRUIT FILLINGS CONTAINED IN BUCKETS de Caritat H., Delacharlerie S., Sindic M., Deconinck T.  Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Université de Liège (ULg), Unifine Food and Bake Ingredients Summary: The management of logistic and stock matters encourages the pastry industry to develop quality products with a long shelf-life. This study is based on the desire of Unifine Food and Bake Ingredients to increase the shelf-life of its fruit fillings. Different fruit fillings (apples, cherries, strawberries) have first been selected. The aging of the products was then characterized through physico-chemical and sensory analyses. Browning and the loss of hardness of the fruits have been identified as the major alterations of the studied products. After searching for the causes of these alterations, it turned out that the heat treatment applied to the studied fruit fillings is sufficient to destroy the enzymes responsible for browning. However, this heat treatment also leads to a decrease in ascorbic acid content, which can promote browning. Finally, several ways of improvements were tested. It seems that an increase in ascorbic acid content and / or an addition of calcium ascorbate may contribute to a slight slowdown of the involved alterations. Characterization of fruit fillings Identification of the origins of the apple filling alterations Possible improvements tested Conclusion and perspectives The results enable us to propose some improvements and advice : For a better understanding of the mechanisms of the browning of apple fillings, it would be appropriate to analyze the presence of o-quinones. These molecules are truly the cornerstone of enzymatic browning. The texture of apples also degrades through some enzymatic reactions. Therefore, it would be interesting to examine more deeply the possibility of using the thermo-sonication. Finally, it could be interesting to determine the shelf-life of actual product, although this was not the subject of the initial request Unifine. This has unfortunately not been undertaken. To do this, a larger number of samples would have been necessary to have a more regular serie of products. A sensory analysis using a panel of consumers would have assessed the shelf-life. Fruit filling alterations Result (2) : Sensory analyses Title Introduction Methods Results Discussion Conclusion References Result (1) : Presence of polyphenol oxidase Result (1) : Ascorbic acid substitution Title Introduction Methods Results Discussion Conclusion References D An addition of ascorbic acid or calcium ascorbate have positive effets on the browning. Many causes can conduct to the deterioration of the fruit fillings. From the arrival of the fruits to the manufacturing processes and the storage conditions. Practically, different mecanisms could appear : enzymatic browning; non enzymatic browning (coupling reactions, ascorbic acid oxidation, Maillard reaction, …); texture changes (viscosity, consistency, hardness,…); taste and odor changes. Odor (intensity) Sweetness Salty taste Bitter taste Aroma Viscosity Acidity Color (intensity) Apple pieces and syrup, untreated and treated with a Gaiacol solution Cut pieces, untreated and untreated with a Gaiacol solution Reference 3 months 11 months 25 months Apple filling Odor (intensity) Sweetness Salty taste Bitter taste Aroma Viscosity Acidity Color (intensity) Apple pieces before and after the dipping bath, untreated and treated with a Gaiacol solution Result (2) : Ascorbic acid degradation Analysis of variance for erythorbic acid addition The differences between days of measures are very highly significant. But no relevant changes were observed by the ascorbic acid substitution. Approach Result (2) : Correction of the ascorbic acid content Aging (1,2,3,4) Apple (P) Physico-chimical analysis (Colorimetry, Brix degre, pH, Consistance, Baking stability, Aw, Texture) Intralot variability (a,b,c) Interlot variabilité (P,P',P") Sensory analysis Odor (intensity) Sweetness Salty taste Bitter taste Aroma Viscosity Acidity Color (intensity) Reference 5 months 8 months Cherry filling Months Syrup color Fruit color Aroma (intensity) Salty taste Odor (intensity) Acidity Sweetness Bitter taste sity Fruit hardness Aroma (type) Ascorbic acid losses during the aging of the apple filling Conclusion (1) & (2) : Heat treatment sufficient for enzyme destruction but leads to ascorbic acid destruction Result (3) : Puree homogeneity 0 days Incubator at 37°C during 18 days Colorimetric parameters of the tested formulations The apple puree appears inhomogeneous. Several factors could explain these color and density differences. The sample collect, the manufacturing process or the raw materials. A further standardization is desiable to avoid variations. Result (1) : Softening of apple pieces Odor (intensity) References Salty taste Color (intensity) Reference 7 months Strawberry filling Result (3) : Addition of calcium ascorbate Texture : Penetration needle (2mm) Hardness (g) Les polyphénols en agroalimentaire. Sarni-Manchado P., Cheynier V., Eds.; Lavoisier : Paris. Technologies de transformation des fruits. Albagnac G., Varoquaux P. et Montigaud J.-C., Eds.; Lavoisier: Paris. Science des aliments. Jeantet R., Croguennec T., Schuck P., Brulé G., Eds.; Lavoisier: Paris. Bitter taste Viscosity Result (4) : Apple hardness Apple filling Syrup color Fruit color Aroma (intensity) Odor (intensity) Acidity Bitter taste osity Fruit hardness Sweetness Aroma Salty taste Acidity Sweetness Statistical resullts of the hardness of apple pieces with calcium ascorbate addition Hardness comparison between fresh and processed apples Contact : Hervé de Caritat h.decaritat@gmail.com +32 476 62 36 59 Age (months) A too short incubator duration (18 days at 37°C) don’t allow us to distinct a significant maintaining of the apple hardness. No obvious correlation in hardness has been found on these products. The hardness decreased from nearly 200g to less than 90 g in 11 months time. Aroma (type)